Simon & Marceline
by aimsknight06
Summary: This is a long story of how the two lived before during and after each other's company.
1. Chapter 1: The Crown

It's been roughly a week since I've seen Betty. What happened?

I stare to the wretched thing on my table. A glittering crown. Oh, why had I ever come in contact with such a wicked object?

I look at the clock. Three more hours until nighttime fully settles in Moscow. I glance to my hands. The fingertips and the flesh under the nails have begun to turn pale. I take out the thermometer from my mouth and gawk at the numbers 23 degrees Celsius reflected on the little screen.

Oh dear, oh dear.

My dear Betty, if you'd come back to me... Maybe if you did, I'd be able to push past this... Not be crazy...

No, what am I thinking? I pushed her away. And she'd probably be safer from me anyway. Everyone should just stay away. Away from whatever this piece of jewelry turns me into...

_"Ice King... Come to the... life of … of SNOW"_

No, NO! I shake my head furiously and temporarily dispel the visions and voices. They slowly return however, and with more tremendous persistence. I curl into a ball on my chair and rock ceaselessly.

Nonononononononononono...


	2. Chapter 2: The War

It's gotten much worse since then. The visions, the muttering, the chants... They won't stop!

What am I to do...?

My hair has grown at rates beyond human, and my skin has regretfully begun to blue. My temperature has dropped drastically and I fear for those even remotely around me. For I seem to bring bouts of frost in my presence.

The voices whisper...

_Ice... Frost covers the world... A world of... Snow, and ice... I will protect you..._

Protect me? Protect me from what? The only danger to me right now is the crown itself! Honestly, these voices used to cease once I stopped wearing the crown. But they now go on unceasing. I can only scream to hear myself talk as of now. I made these video diaries in hopes to be able to watch them someday when I'm free of this curse and laugh at the hilarity and ridicule of it all.

But I'm beginning to fear it will never come to pass...

I've run many tests. It appears the crown has some kind of a consciousness. I don't know if I'm being possessed or not, but I'm very afraid. It has altered my appearance to that of an old man. My hair has become white and I'm merely in my thirties.

Betty... I miss you... My _princess_...

Remember how we'd walk along the beaches in the Crimea, my fiance? Hand in hand... Smiling and laughing at corny jokes...

We've worked on so much in the occult libraries. Yet none of that is of use to me now, for I've never encountered a magic of this caliber... I'm afraid it's grip on me will only grow as I slip into new levels of insanity.

Why could I not say goodbye to you?

I only remember seeing you gasp once the crown was on. Then, moments after I thought I blacked out, you were gone. And it was snowing.

Perhaps you left that crazy me... I can't blame you. But maybe I will see you again after I've gotten away from this crown's power.

Yet I could wish... That I may learn to harness it's power. Maybe with this thing's promised powers, I could solve the world's problems... Like the current Mushroom War. Fears have spread that the enemy has accumulated a truly horrifying weapon of death.

I've heard it named after the undead king. The Lich Bomb... Truly horrible warfare...


	3. Chapter 3: The Plan

"Mommy!"

"Oh, Marceline!"

"It hurts, Mommy," The little girl holds out a blistered palm, "The light... Why does it hurt?"

The woman smiled and held her daughter's hand. Under the shade, the wound recovered quickly.

"Mommy, why are pretty things... Why can't I touch them?" The little girl's lower lip begins to quiver and she looks confused amongst tears.

Her mother smiles ruefully. Her daughter is considerably paler than even her fair skin. She kisses the previously plighted spot on the little hand and looks the little girl in the eye.

"You can touch pretty things, Marceline. Just... not in the 'light'."

Marceline gives a funny look, "But things are so dull at night. Sunny light is what gives 'color'!"

"And what's your favorite color, hm?"

"Nn... Red!"

"And why is that?"

"... That's Mommy's favorite color too right?"

"Oh, Marceline..." She hugs her treasure close.

The ground suddenly rumbles as a split in the earth echoes with debris flying in several directions. It startles the two under the beech tree's shade. The mother grips Marceline's little self into her own body in fear. Marceline's eyes grow wide at this forever-awing spectacle.

Black smoke belches from the red coals bordering an opening to a literal hell. Voices of the tormented and suffering echo and the light of flames is visible through embers encircling the schism.

Emerging from the abyss is the lord of the Nightosphere, Hunson Abadeer.

He sees his wife and daughter crouched a few paces from his appearance and strides towards them in a calm manner.

"Dear, why is it everytime I come to pick up Marceline that I find you holding on for dear life?"

"Hunson..." The mother's voice quavers, "You could hurt her... erupting out of nowhere."

"Now, now, we all know that even if she did fall or whatever, she's part demon! She'd never die that easily!" The father laughs at the concern as though he'd just been asked about the significance of a dead fly.

"Now, come, Marceline"

Marceline lets go of her mother and takes her father's outstretched hand obediently. Her mother looks on with a worried expression on her face. Hunson waves.

"Don't worry! She'll be back by nighttime!"

The two step into the gaping hole and are enveloped as the ground recovers and all that's left is a patch of dried dirt. The woman silently weeps as though it was her last days of happiness.

…

Marceline was indeed a demon. But she acted like her human mother. Her handmaidens given by her father were baffled at her interest in playing with dolls and not destroying or tearing their heads. She disliked the air of chaos in the Nightosphere. The shrieks and screams of agony and unruly demons were a nuisance to her, but music to her father's ears.

Hunson looked for ways to train his daughter to grow up to rule the Nightosphere. The demons needed a ruthless ruler, willing to punish the most frivolous crime. (Not to mention twist around wishes about stuff like abs for a head.)

He tried to awaken a demonic rage from her by arranging play-dates with young delinquents. She watched documentaries on the Nightosphere's chaotic history and grew fangs. However, Hunson still found it unsatisfactory.

So he'd bide his time. Sooner or later, an event would have to trigger the demonic blood within the little body. She will be fit to rule as the next Abadeer.

But her mother would never allow it, would she?


	4. Chapter 4: The Lich

I had moved to San Francisco for a break. I thought the warm weather here would restrain the crown better than in Moscow. Betty lived here in America before she moved to Russia and became my fiancée...

I stare down at my cocoa sullenly and envision her standing beside me. Like this is all a bad dream. But no such luck...

Slowly, slowly, I bring the hot mug of cocoa to my lips. Suddenly, sirens burst my ears and the cocoa goes splaying all over the floor. Without time to be angry, I turn frightened to the sound.

It's an air raid.

I can't have this be so soon! As I begin packing for departure to the shelter, the crown suddenly fills me with a surge of pain. Immobilized by this strange reaction, I lie still, but conscious. Ice and frost crawl from my fingers and form a frost shadow of me on the floor. It continues spreading onto the walls and into my library.

"Stop... What are you doing...?!"

The voices become one, as though to answer my cries, "_We foresee a world... only you can save... Cover it... become... Snow and Ice..."_

To my horror, my white beard grows even longer than before. And my hair, too. I suddenly feel a gnawing sensation as my teeth begin to form into canines and my skin began to turn a pale blue.

Oh, mother...! This is it...

Frost slithers over the panes of the window overlooking the city. Before they completely cover the glass, I glimpse a green flash and black coils rising from the horizon. Then I felt the rumbles beneath the floorboards. Betty's photo frame slides to me in the shock wave. I grasp it for all the good it would do me.

With ice chips raining down as the building began collapsing, I whisper my final prayer:

"_I love you..."_

…

"Ow!" Marceline trips on a rock. Her mother rushes to her side to find a scraped knee.

"Oh, Marceline, you need to be more careful..." She pulls out a wet cloth and gently dabs the scratched skin.

"It wasn't me. The earth was moving." The little girl sniffs as her mother tends to her.

"What? Moving?"

"It's like when Daddy comes and it's all like... What is that!?"

The little girl gesticulates wildly to an evil green hue that now illuminates the sky. Dark clouds and green fumes block out the blue sky. A high pitched moan can be perceived as Marceline's mother throws her body over her daughter's. A searing light pierces the skies as the world is suddenly gripped by tremors and ghouls.

"MOMMY-"

...

A green flash that signaled the end of the world.


	5. Chapter 5: Abandonment and Meeting

I see a horned master of death. His bottom jaw hangs a rotten bone and his eyes are hollow fires. He bears the ancient rags of clothing and an army of destruction. I see the shadows and remnants of the Lich Bomb. There are no survivors for miles. Strange creatures accompany this new order... humans morphed by Apocalypse...

"Ugh..."

I roll to my side as my head rings with a ceaseless howl. Then I realize that's not my head.

Above me, there is a crack in the room, showing a sky streaked with smoke and green apparitions. I don't know if I'm dreaming. The last I remember is... the crown!

I feel the weight on my head. Oh, mother, it's still there.

I look around the remnants of the building. Ice has encased everything around me in a twenty meter radius, about. My research was preserved in a frozen room next to where I was sitting.

Shaking my head and reeling from the disturbing dream, I gather my bag from the floor. I can't stay here. Packing a sleeping bag, toothbrush and other necessities, I make my mind to find other survivors. My heart sinks, however, at the possibility that no human could have survived this bomb. Me? Well, I've well surpassed those boundaries thanks to this thing.

I was thinking about leaving it when it dawns me that it _did_ in fact save me. Hesitating, and pulled by a strange force, I eventually decide to take it with me. Despite it's negative influence on my sanity, perhaps it will help me stay alive in this cataclysm.

Once I finish packing, I hop out the window, as the stairs were obliterated, and land on a broken concrete tile. I survey my new surroundings. The city is in utter ruins. And far away, I hear the groans of those monsters the crown showed me.

A sense of urgency propels me in a random direction. The bag weighs me down, and so does this new found loneliness. I may be the last person alive in the city, if not the continent. Cursed Lich Bomb...

Lost in my thoughts, I almost didn't hear the wails of a little girl. I stop in my tracks and, ignoring all risks, run in the direction of a possible survivor.

"Daddy... Daddy..." She says.

…

Marceline blinks at the gray and dark sky. She reflexively grasps her hand. She's alive. Nothing's broken, either.

A shadow bends over her and she recognizes the face of her father, Hunson. He isn't smiling, but he's not concerned either.

Marceline sits up and sees a limp figure in his arms.

"Mommy? Where's Mommy?"

"..."

"Mommy!" Marceline pulls on the hand hanging from Hunson's arms, "Mommy?"

Hunson kneels low enough so Marceline can see the body's face, untouched by the explosion. Despite the explosion, Hunson had appeared in time to ward off the heat. But she'd died from the radiation.

"Mommy! Wake up! Daddy!" Marceline looks up to her father's indifferent face with desperation. In tears, she wails as though her mother were merely asleep.

"Mommy! MOMMY!"

Hunson suddenly breaks into a toothy smile and almost laughs. HE looks at his daughter hungrily.

"Marceline, say goodbye," The little girl's eyes widen in disbelief, "I'm going to take mommy and go home. We'll be waiting for you."

"What? Daddy..." The little girl stretches a helpless hand to the new figure before her. What was happening...?

"I'm expecting great things from you Marceline," Hunson opens a portal nearby, "So try not to disappoint me, okay?"

"DADDYYY!"

Marceline runs toward the figure in the closing portal. In a flash, her parents are gone. She stands alone amongst rubble, flaming cars, and acrid air.

Tears flowing down her cheeks as she repeats a mantra to willfully summon her father back,

"Daddy.. Daddy... Daddy..."

…

She stands crying in a clearing of the broken city. I hesitate in approach.

_What if I freeze her? What if I scare her away?_

I notice her abnormally pale pigment. She's probably not human. And she really needs a guardian right now.

Ignoring the possible disasters, I rush up to her and wipe her face. She seems astonished as though I were her fairy godparent out of nowhere. But she still looks scared.

I scan for some sort of comfort and spy a toy store. Well, no one will be needing this place anymore, so I walk over to the broken display where a mountain of plushies lay on the floor. I pick up a bear with purple button eyes and return to the little girl. She lights up after she has it in her hands. I smile as well.

"Who are you?"

"I'm..." _ICE KING _"Simon Pertikov."

"...Can I call you Simon?"

I chuckle. I can see her unnaturally sharp canines.

"Well, what's your name then?"

"Marceline."

"Well, then. I'll call you Marcy and you call me Simon. Sound good?"

She nods and holds my hand. Her hands were cold, but a warmth flowed from contact I was deprived of for a long time.

We walk towards, well, wherever we'll end up in this dump. But it's good to finally have company.


	6. Chapter 6: The Promise We Make

"So, where' your parents, Marcy?"

"I don't know," She sniffs, "Daddy took Mommy home. She was tired... and sleeping..."

I wonder about her abandonment. From the details, her father seems like an eccentric and very estranged parent. Her mother, I assume, is dead. She has yet to realize.

Well, I decided I wouldn't tell her and just watch her for now, or at least until I could find someone more equipped to take care of her. I fear scaring her off too. The crown doesn't seem to like me socializing with others.

"Well, we better get moving, Marcy." I pull the little girl's attention from the smoking city. She instinctively hugs the bear I gave her. She named it Hambo. I didn't ask.

The grass outside the city was golden. The forests nearby seemed to have enlarged. Gray clouds still hung about overhead, but at least that greenish flow was gone. To where, I wouldn't know. But I'm afraid it may have spread to other parts of the world. And if it did kill every person it came in contact with... No, I mustn't think of... Betty...

"So, Marcy, what do you say we start looking for lunch?"

"Hmm... Sounds good."

The radiation from the bomb may have contaminated the trees. So I try some fruit before actually harvesting. Of course, I got a big stomachache, not from the radiation, but from a worm. Marcy finds some bird eggs and we settle for a meager meal. I thought to myself, so this is how it's like to live after the apocalypse.

…

I'm getting less sleep than a person usually needs. In my dreams, I see haunting visions of Betty, the Lich, and disturbing demons from this little girl I barely know.

"No...No, NO!"

"Simon!"

I wake to the tugging of my jacket collar. Marcy sits on my chest, her hands let go of my shirt. She looked rattled, and I knew why.

"Marcy... uh, go back to sleep."

"Simon, you were screaming... my name, and some other person... Who's Betty?"

"Oh..." For a minute, I lose grip of the few memories left of my fiance, "...She was... is a woman I love."

Marcy looks at me understandingly, "Are you going to look for her?"

I think to myself and, wanting comfort, deny the obvious reality of never seeing Betty again. For if I do, it will only be a cold, dead shell of the woman I loved so much. I couldn't bear it.

"Yes. I want to find her... and tell her I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Marceline looks at me quizzically, "For what?"

I wonder if she's ever really understood or experienced apology.

"I... did something I shouldn't have done."

"..."

I curl up and cover my face with my bony hands. The feeling of regret and guilt well up within for something I did that I wasn't even aware of! I feel a pull on my arms as Marcy pulls my hands. Her eyes were hollow, but reflected a sense of calm and forgiving nature.

"Simon... is a good person," She says slowly, "Whatever you did... you didn't mean it did you?"

"No... Marcy... I'm not a good person."

"But you're here now."

She smiled innocently, a red hue was present on her pale cheeks. The sight of such innocence made me shudder. A warmth spread sickly in my body, but I felt too frozen, and began to melt.

"Smile for me, Marcy."

I pull out my trusty Polaroid. Marcy looks confused as I click the shutter. As the photo develops, I let her look at the camera.

"What's it for?"

"It captures moments in time. See?" I show her the photo.

"WOOOWWW..." She gapes at the little square film, "Is it... magic?"

"Haha... Yep, I'm a magician! Wooo..." I twiddle my fingers and wave my arms, pretending to cast a spell, "Alakazam!"

_Click_, goes the shutter. I flap the paper and look at the new photo of Marcy and Hambo.

We both enjoy a good laugh from the whole magic biz, but then my head began throbbing.

"...Ugh...?" I saw a surge of colorful apparitions dance before my eyes. Knowing these were merely visions, illusions of the crown, I swatted at them. They spoke in a moaning voice that seemed whole.

_"Ice wizard... Yes, you're an... ice wizard..."_

"No... NO! Stay away from me!"

I hear Marceline whimper. I blink several times before my vision adjusts. The color drains away as I uneasily settle back to reality. I see that I had unwittingly fallen into another one of my insane fits. Marceline stares with eyes of fear.

"M-Marcy... I... What was I... I... I'm so sorry..." I stumble over to her, "See? I won't hurt you..."

I extend my open hand. She flinches slightly, but grasps it tightly and hugs my waist. She muffles her sobs of relief in my coat. I can only hug her back, offering no promises.

…

"Marcy..."

"Yeah, Simon?"

"I... I've been thinking..." I look up to the clouded night. It was without stars.

"What do you think of... If I couldn't..." I sigh deeply, unable to speak my mind, "If I ever go crazy again, I want you to leave me."

Marceline turns over in her sleeping bag, startled by my sudden proposition.

"Simon... Why would I leave you?"

"I-It's not safe to be near me... or the crown. You know, it's because of this power that Betty left me..." I shudder thinking about the ordeal she must've undertaken, seeing my deranged self, "It's dangerous, Marcy. And I don't want to hurt anyone anymore..."

"No," I was surprised by the austere voice, "I choose to stay with Simon."

I look up and she her kneeling at my head. She lays down next to me and makes a pinky hook.

"Let's always explore together, Simon. No matter where we go, no matter how crazy you get, I'll stay with you."

I felt a lump form in my throat at these sentiments. I had only wished Betty would have said the same thing and not run off. Reluctantly, I join in on the deal.

"Alright, Marcy."

"Pinky Promise."

She fell asleep soon after, with nothing to watch. I lay awake pondering how much time I had left until this promise would break... until I lose "myself".

_I'm sorry, Marcy..._

I felt tinges of regret surface from making such a ridiculous promise. One I knew I wouldn't be able to keep.

But a spark of hope had arisen. I would spend many, many moments with Marceline. Happy ones, sad ones, funny ones, moments and fragments of the flowing time I would cherish. Even after I turn insane.

I turn on my side and feel the lush grass brush my face. The tingly night dew smell is refreshing, and I feel a giddiness, knowing I'd be able to have a sound sleep session tonight. My eyelids grow drowsy and I take one last look at the starless sky. The moon shows, and I pray for many more peaceful nights to come.


	7. Chapter 7: Songs on the Road

"Walking amongst piles of rubbish... What may we find today? Toodle-looty-doo..."

Marceline giggles at my ad-libbing.

"Hahaha... you're so silly, Simon. Okay, now it's my turn."

She takes a moment to think of lyrics as she kicks a can.

"Kicking a can, it's not much fun... but..." She kicks it to my feet, "It's always fun with friends."

I chuckle and return the can for a make-believe game. After a while, we sent it flying over a ledge and into a trash can bordering the city streets.

"YAY! Jackpot!" I squat down and we high-five.

She then turns to look down at the place where the can rolled down.

"Simon... what is that place?"

"You... You've never went into the city before, Marcy?"

She shakes her head thoughtfully, "Mommy only took me to her house. But I've never been to the parts like a 'city'."

I guess she doesn't quite grasp the meaning of a metropolis. If she'd only been confined to a small place, it'd make sense that she wouldn't recognize West Avenue.

"Well, maybe we'll go in and look around sometime, huh?"

"..."

"What's wrong, Marcy?"

She face crumpled, "M-Mommy..."

I got on my knees as she cried into my vest. I remember I found her in the city... It must harbor a cesspit of memories for her about her mother.

"I... I'm sorry, Marcy."

She sniffed as I wiped her eyes dry, "I... Mommy promised the same thing... That she'd take m-me somewhere nice, a-and we-we'd get ice cream..."

"Well... We can still do that sometime...!" I try my best to sound hopeful.

She looks at me doubtfully. I shouldn't expect her to believe me. I can barely think of returning to the city either. The radiation from the bomb makes it dangerous, though I'm not sure to what degree I'm protected. I touch the crown hinged on my belt. And what about Marcy?

"Simon...?"

"On, no... I'm just thinking... Yeah, we will go to the San Francisco Mall sometime, okay?"

She laughs, "Okay, but what's San Francisco?"

"It's the name of the city, Marcy. I used to live here too."

"I wonder if we'll find anyone else in there..."

I cringe at the thought of carnage. A slew of human bodies and blood, pooling in the city. Some charred to ash, others blistered from the heat... And we still don't know if the 'Lich' is there. The crown showed me his arrival, though I can't be sure. But something definitely roils within the city. Radiation can do horrible things.

_Is it just you and me... in the wreckage of the world?_

Unbeknownst to me, a tear had slipped from my right eye. Marceline noticed it silently, and gazed upon the city that still smoked, two days into the aftermath of the bomb.


	8. Chapter 8: Memories On Tape

I carefully assemble the tripod and position the camera. VCR recorders are so bulky...

"Ready, Marcy?"

"What is that?"

She looks into the lens curiously, "More magic?"

"No, Marceline. It's a recorder."

"Looks like a skinny, three-legged cyclops." I laugh at the simile.

"It's used to capture moments, like the camera, but it can make it move."

She cocks her head to the side in confusion.

"Here, I'll show you."

I put it on record and jump in front of it. Marceline stifles her laughter as I do the chicken dance. She bursts out laughing after I finish. I stop the recording.

"T-That...That was so funny...Hahaha...!"

Tears streak down her cheeks as she clutches her sides in unceasing laughter. I smile and take a picture of her joy. At the sudden flash, she begins to sober a little.

"Okay, okay... So? How does it look like?"

I show her the tape on the recorder, since I don't have a VCR player. She begins laughing all over again as she watches me dance.

"I...I think I get it now..." She says, gasping for breath.

"Hmm?" I slowly replace my items in my bag.

"They're like 'photos'... but happier...funnier."

"Hm... Yeah, I guess you could say that. These are called 'tapes'. But I'll label this one 'My Dance', so we'll remember, eh?"

"Hee hee... 'Simon's Silly Dance'."

"And you know, Marcy... We-We could make a lot of these. I still have some time left in them. We should make a tape with the two of us. Fun, right?"

"Yeah..." She clasps Hambo and gazes at the cloudy sky, "And Hambo."

"And Hambo." I repeat.

She lays quiet for a while, and I follow her gaze to the dreary sky. The explosion had nicked up so much clod and earth that those clouds could take years to clear up. No more rain, or sun. Or snow.

I remember, back in Moscow, I'd somehow conjure snowstorms on the city. I had been wearing the crown normally then. The voices still call out to me, always. They tell me to freeze everything...

My thoughts are interrupted by Marceline thinking aloud, "I think..."

"I think even without the tape... I would remember this, Simon."

"Really? Even when you're a thousand?"

Marcy giggles at the idea of living a millennium, "Yeah, because it's so... so fun."

"Fun?"

She turns over on her side, "I... I would never get to play like this with Mommy. It's only now, that the sun's out, that I can play with you, Simon."

So she burns in the sun? Or something like that? She's been locked up all this time because she can't contact sunlight?

"...We'll have a lot of good memories, Marceline. I promise."

She smiles and looks at me, then down at Hambo,"Mommy said that when something is really happy, or funny... You'll remember it forever."

I smile. Even with this crown eroding at my sanity... I want to remember these moments too. That's why the tapes are so important. If I can't remember... I need some remnant. Any physical proof of my existence with this new happiness. Yes, proof... Proof that Simon Petrikov did indeed exist... And he was happy with this little girl.


	9. Chapter 9: Looking for You

"Simon, what're these- WHOA!"

Marceline falls backwards and drops the binoculars.

"Oh, Marcy," I help her up and retrieve the binoculars, "Don't go poking around my stuff to much alright? There's some complex items that only I can use..."

"What was that? I could see the mountain peaks!"

"They're, um, binoculars."

"Rhinoculers?"

"No, no. They help you see far away."

"Hmm... How far?"

"Uhh... These are pretty jacked up. Probably can only see a mile or two..."

She looks thought fully into the woods. I check the binoculars' lens to make sure nothing cracked.

"How long has it been, Simon? Since we've been traveling?"

"Hmm... About four-five days."

"...Daddy still hasn't come for me."

I perk up at the mention of her father. I could imagine an eccentric baron who viewed people as nothing more than tools. But I'd never asked actually Marcy about him. All I know is he carried away his wife and abandoned Marceline in the midst of rubble where I found her.

"Marcy... Why did your Daddy abandon you?"

As if in response, she curled up into fetal position and fell silent. Hambo was still firmly in her grasp.

"Um, Marcy, I'm sorry... was it sensitive?"

"I don't know..." She moaned, facing away from me, "I want to see him. I want my Mommy... I want to see them again!"

She's gone through a lot of family complications, it seems. I can't fathom as to why her father would toss her aside. Maybe he had a reason like I would, but I would hate myself indefinitely for it. Does he regret it?

"Daddy lives, sniff, far away. I thought I could see him with those."

These? The binoculars? I fancy the thought of looking halfway around the world through these lenses.

"But it's okay."

"Hunh?"

"You're here, Simon."

…

As night falls, I sit on the grassy hill just outside city perimeter with Marcy's head on my lap. I look up to long for the night sky that seems so foreign now. If only I could see the sunset... or the stars...

"Simon, where did all the stars go?"

"Oh... They were, uh, all scared away with the sun... by the bomb!" I wave my hands for a horror effect.

Marcy smiles ruefully at the clouds, "I was only able to see the stars and the moon... because I could only come out at night."

"Why is that, Marcy?"

"...I don't know. Sunlight only hurts me."

I wonder at the possibilities of what pathogen could possibly render her feeble in the sunlight. But I guess she's not human anyway.

"Simon, can we go into San Francisco tomorrow?"

I look down at her red hued eyes that reflect my stare.

Cupping her face in my bluish hands, I reply, "Of course."


	10. Chapter 10: The First Signs

It's so dark. The road is so warm, but it's a furnace on the other end.

It's hot... It's dark...

The darkness clears up and I stand at a pier in Russia, with Betty at my side. A toothless, old seafarer holds a bundle in his arms that I take into my hands. The package is all too familiar... It's the CROWN.

"No...NO!"

I hurl the crown as hard as I can off the pier. Only now am I aware it's a dream. Betty melts away as I gape in horror at the blurring of the dream scape. A glare of some huge shadow looms over my collapsing world as walls suddenly erupt from all directions, blocking my escape.

"No...! I won't let you- You can't take everything away from me!"

Come on, wake up, wake up...

The labyrinth enclosed me thoroughly for the shadow to fully scrutinize on me with it's three red eyes. At my feet, the crown suddenly poked out. On instinct, I lashed it on and felt a strange new power course through me. It was stronger than I remember...

Focusing the power at my fingers, I unleash a blast of freezing cold at the shadow. At everywhere. I didn't want anything else...

The snow settled, and I tried to pry the crown off. But it was stuck, as I feared. As the air became clearer from the snow, I realize with horror what I had just done.

Before me lies the vast land of Earth, covered in frost. And just a few paces in front of me is a small shape frozen over. Trembling, I approach it with dread filling me every step.

Wiping away the snow clustered on the ice, I scream at the sight of Marceline's face encased in ice. I trip trying to back away from the atrocity I committed... My throat can't seem to stop emitting a hollow sound of regretful loneliness.

"No-NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

…

"Simon! St-STOOOPPP!"

He doesn't respond. His eyes are white and he's mumbling under his breath. The crown atop his head glows eerily as he emanates a chilliness, freezing the area around him.

Just a few moments ago, he was just having a fitful sleep. Then he put on the crown in a dreamlike daze and suddenly began screaming nonsense. He just stands there, slowly freezing the earth. I back away from the creeping frost as it slithers over blades of grass.

"Simon! Simon, STOP!"

Something flickers in the air around him as I see his pupils return and his mumbling escalates to loud grunts as he wrestles the crown off his head. It falls to the floor, chipping some ice. He collapses, grasping his cranium in pain and moaning.

"Simon!" I run to him, "Simon! What were you doing?"

"Huh? I...Uh..." He struggles to speak with coherence, "What... What was I..."

He gasps as if in realization, "Marcy! Marcy, are you hurt?"

"N-No... You just froze the ground. What was that anyway?"

He glances at the crown, then stares at the frost in disbelief.

"Did I..."

"You just suddenly put it on and began freezing up the place."

"What? No... I- I thought I had more control... I didn't hurt you did I?"

"No, but, Simon..." I glance at the crown cautiously, "Maybe we should get rid of that..."

"No... That won't do, Marcy..."

"What? Why not?"

He doesn't answer, but stares into his bluish palms. His eyes reflected fear and helplessness. As I try to comfort him, he pushes me away.

"Don't... Don't come near me, Marcy. It's dangerous..."

His words sting. I feel lumps begin forming in my throat. He was in pain...

"Simon..."

"No, Marcy... Just... Just go back to sleep alright? I... I need sometime to think."

Desperate, I grasp the tail of his jacket, "Simon, don't leave me..."

…

I watch her plead as tears slid down her cheeks and I felt raw emotion gnaw away at my heart. So I say what is necessary to stop it:

"Don't worry, I'll be here when you wake up. I'm not going anywhere."

"...Really?" She honestly cannot believe me.

"Yeah. I promise."

"Pinky Promise?"

She extends her pinky in a familiar gesture. I complete the ritual, smiling.

"Yes, Pinky Promise."

That seemed to satisfy her a bit as she smiled a little sadly and curled up with Hambo in her sleeping bag. I sit in the nearby grass that wasn't frozen, a safe distance away.

I look at my hands and remember freezing the world. And Marceline with it. I shudder at the thought and peer over my shoulder to where the glittering headpiece lay on the frozen grass. I remember the labyrinth and the influence this thing has on me.

I don't want to hurt anymore people. This power... takes me unawares, and when it does... I can't fathom the thought of hurting Marcy. I'd grown to love her, attached to her. If I could ever meet Betty again... Marcy would be my daughter...

The best choice would be to leave her. But for who? Leave her her in this forsaken wasteland for who-knows-what? I sigh heavily and run a hand through my white hair. No, I won't leave her. Because I want to save her. So I will have to learn to earn control over this crown. Because I don't want to leave her.

_I'm losing myself... and I want to save you..._


	11. Chapter 11: Tangles

"Hold on, Simon! Almost there..."

"Ow! Watch where you poke that... Oof, I knew this was a bad idea."

Me and Simon went trekking around the city, like he said we would. We were entering a store that was overrun with vines. He got tangled trying to get through and I tried using a rod to loosen the bondage.

"Whew..." Simon picks off a leaf from his shoulder, "Thanks, Marcy."

I giggle, remembering how funny he looked all tangled. He ruffles my hair, probably knowing why I was laughing.

"Alright, let's look around shall we?"

He holds my hand as we walk through the dimly lit premises. Simon says to hold hands so we don't get lost or separated. I held hands with Daddy, but his hands were cold. Simon's were lukewarm.

"What's in this place, Simon?" I glance around at broken lights in the ceiling and scattered boxes all over the cracked tiles of flooring.

"It's a grocery, Marcy. It has food, and drinks. Like, ooh, look at this!"

He approaches a white shelf that feels slightly cold. He reaches in and pulls out a packaged chicken. But it was green. And fuzzy.

"Uhh, Simon? It's green."

"Oh, you're right. Eugh," He sticks his tongue out and puts the chicken back, "Well, how about this?"

He takes a sealed bottle off the shelf. It's red and labeled "Coca Cola".

"This is soda. Try it."

He pops off the cap and takes a swig. He offers it to me. I sniff it cautiously and sip it. It was really sweet.

"Whoa. It's really sweet..."

"Yeah. A little too sweet, right?" I nod in agreement.

Simon picked up a few more items before we left the grocery. As we left, I noticed Simon's shoulder height. It was about two heads higher than me. I wonder how long it will be before I grow to be as tall as Simon.

…

As our mixture of "condensed milk" and water boiled in a pot over our campfire, Simon sang heartily. His songs are so good.

"Sittin' with friends, it's really all that ma-a-a-ters..."

I clap. He takes a dramatic bow and sits back down, staring into the fire.

"I'm... sorry about what happened last night. I had a bad dream and... in it, I hurt you..."

"Hm..." I poke a stick at the fire pensively, "You'd never do it in real life, though, right?"

He shifts uncomfortably and averts his gaze. His index finger brushes over the crown hanging by his side.

"This crown, Marcy... I can't explain it... But it keeps me alive... And makes me crazy. It tells me to freeze... everything."

I cock my head, not quite comprehending. The crown looks more like a prop than any magical item I could think of. He notices my confusion and tells me not to worry about it.

"You know," I say as the pot simmers, "I had a bad dream too."

"...About your Daddy?"

I nod, "Mm-hmm. And Mommy, too. They were both there, when the bomb hit. I couldn't call for them... And they just... melted..."

"And, and... I saw you too, Simon. Only, you were weird... You had green eyes and horns... And you wanted to eat me...!"

I sat up with a jolt and stare across the fire at Simon, who is dumbstruck by my revelation.

"...Do I... Scare you, Marcy?"

"N-NO! Simon! I... I love you!"

He smiles, a little sad, and announces the milk is ready. He ladles out our portions without another word and we sit, sipping our milky soup.

"Simon?"

I look across the fire. He continues sipping, but I know he heard me.

"...I'm sorry."

He looks up, "Marcy, it's just- I'd hate for you to get hurt by being near me. It's dangerous, and-" He pauses and looks at the milk, deep I thought.

"I promised I'd stay with you, Simon. I'm not scared." I try to sound as confident as possible.

He smiles wistfully, "Oh yeah, I never asked... How old are you?"

"Seven."

"Hoo, well, I'm 47... heh, I feel kinda old."

He collects the dishware and rolls out his sleeping bag.

"Erm... Why don't you go to sleep first, Marcy?"

"What? Simon, I sleep better with you."

"I'll just sit here, see?" He pats the area by the bag, "I'll be fine, don't worry."

I reluctantly climb into the bag and hug Hambo. Then I hold onto Simon's hand. They're chillier than I remember. I grasp them tightly and drift slowly into sleep.

"Simon... I ...love..._ you_."


	12. Chapter 12: Starry Sky Hope

"_I love you."_

Betty landed a gentle kiss on me as we teasingly twirled at the seaside. Pedestrians passed, some with jealous expressions, others flushed.

"Oh, I'm so glad it was all a dream..."

"What was?"

"The Lich bomb! You know! I had the crown...and, and Marceline! Marcy! Marcy!" I frantically swivel my head in all directions, "Where are you? I want you to meet Betty!"

"Who?" The voice was slightly garbled, but I took no notice.

"She's a little girl I met. Her parents left her, so I thought she could join our family..."

"Oh, but Simon..."

A slobbery feeling fell splat on my shoulder as a melting human hand slathered gunk onto my jacket. I looked at the gaping hollow in the horrid face melting before my eyes. The ugly mouth contorted into a malicious grin.

"This is all a dream, right?"

"NO!"

I kick off my sleeping cover and force my eyes awake at the sound of my own voice. Shuddering, I take deep breaths as I calm down. I roll over a bit to check on Marcy. She's still asleep. I sigh with relief.

Unable and unwilling to return to the nightmares so soon, I sit by Marcy and stroke her hair. She mumbles slightly and occasionally grimaces. Guess we both got intense night terrors. I look up to the sky, still cloudy but seemingly clear and starless.

I think back to my days in the antiquarian society. We discussed subjects of the most trivial matter. A simple coin from the Southern Americas could easily become a subject of dispute. Despite being of a scientific background, some in our circle did believe in the existence of magic. Until know I would have disregarded the idea as frivolous.

Still, it was the job of that circle that bought me to this thing. I shift my glance nervously to crown, expecting it to pounce any moment. I can't seem to shake the feeling that it grips me, and keeps me safe... No, don't think that way, think of all the things this thing has taken from you, Simon! Your future, your humanity, Betty...

Noticing a smudge, I remove my glasses to clean them. My vision was so clear, yet warbled with the crown's visions. I hastily proceed to wipe them and notice the cracks and scratches on the left lens. I sigh.

A nearby puddle of water was our present privy. I went to relieve myself and saw my reflection. White eyes, sharp teeth, white hair and beard, and skin too pale it was blue. I'm a menace, I thought miserably.

What... What if the crown tries to take Marceline from me too? I remember that horrifying dream of the frosted landscape... It's only too possible that I would lose myself. The crown... wants me to itself... I keep having these dreams, seeing these visions, hearing the voice of the accursed crown...

"...Simon?"

I turn around in shock (Thankfully, I'd zipped my pants). Marcy rubbed her eyes sleepily as she yawned.

"I was scared, when you weren't there."

"Now, now, Marcy. I promised, didn't I?"

A slow _whoosh _could be heard from all directions. I looked up and I saw it.

The Sky.

Marcy looked up too, and I saw her eyes twinkle at the familiar spots of twinkling starlight dotting the night. The clouds had parted briefly. I glimpsed the Big Dipper.

"Hurry, Marcy! The camera!" She darts swiftly and retrieves my Polaroid.

I take a shot at the crack in the monotonous clouds. The stark contrast made for a brief moment that was so rare and cherished. It was like a sign that things would soon become normal again.

When the clouds returned to their eternal positions, Marcy looked up to me with hopeful eyes.

"We saw stars... Think we'll see the moon?"

I flap the new photo and look at it's development. I smile.

"Yeah. Definitely.


	13. Chapter 13: Scientific Parasite

Hambo's become kind of raggedy. But I don't mind. He's still a great sleeping partner. And he's plushy and soft, so I never get tired of holding him. I wonder sometimes...

Simon always carries the heavy pack with all our stuff. I always ask if I can help, but he never lets me. Lately he's been sighing a lot. And he's kinda bends over whenever he walks. I wonder if the crown's getting to him... and making him older.

Maybe if he had a friend like I had Hambo, he'd feel better. And not so tired and stressed out about everything. I know I sleep better with Hambo watching out for monsters. Simon needs a friend who can stay awake and watch his back.

"Okay, Marcy, you ready to go?"

We've been visiting San Francisco a lot more now. I've seen an automobile shop and the empty zoo. Simon tells me all the animals ran away from the scary Lich King. I see him in my dreams, the day Daddy left me. The Green explosion... Sometimes, me and Simon can see him flying through the sky. We always hide and he never finds us. But one day, I'm gonna rough up his junk and see if he likes that!

"Just a sec. Hold still, Simon."

He looks confused as I measure the length of his pocket protector with my hand.

"Um... Marcy?"

"Done! Let's go!"

Simon always holds my hand when we go anywhere. He says that in case of any danger, he just pull me along, since he runs faster. I tell him I won't need to run one day because I'll learn how to fly.

"Really? That doesn't sound too bad of an idea..."

"Where are we going today, Simon?"

"To..." He stops in front of a huge concrete block, "The Department Store Ruins!"

I count at least ten windows going up. Ten stories is the tallest building I've seen, other than Daddy's castle of course.

"What's in here?"

"A whole lotta stuff, Marcy."

He pushes open the glass door and a stale, cool burst of air blows past my face. It's kinda chilly in the building. Simon doesn't seem to mind.

"Hmm, let's see here..." He gazes at a standing board in the dim lighting. I could see the words, "You are Here" on some kind of map.

"Hmf. I guess we'll check out the clothing and cooking ware floor," Simon says after a while. I steal a glance at the map and glimpse the words "TOYS" next to the words "8th Floor".

Simon tried using the room called an "elevator" but it didn't work. "No electricity", So we took the stairs.

We first stop on the second floor, where a bunch of weird stores were named "Macy's" and "Sears" and other junk. They all sold clothes. Simon and I had fun trying on different outfits in the changing rooms. Simon bought a brown jacket with patched elbows. I liked my clothes, so I just took a candy bar from the counter near the exit.

As we leave, Simon tells me it's wrong to steal.

On our way to the fourth floor, Simon stops at the "Food Court". I gagged at the crummy burgers and crusted fries. Seems like the only things we could touch were the sweet drink dispensers. Simon picked up some napkins. I found freeze dried meat patties that Simon said expired. "No electricity"

On the cooking ware floor, Simon went looking for a good pot, pan, and a rolling pin.

"In case of attacks," he said.

While he was scrounging, I snuck up the stairs to the eighth floor. It was kind of scary because the lights flickered on the sixth floor landing. But I see really well in the dark, so I kept going. Tons of dead rats and spider webs were tucked into the corners.

When I reached the eighth landing, I noticed dried green ooze dripping from the steps leading up to the ninth floor. I wonder where all the people went...

In the huge room, I was surrounded by mountains of plush toys. The room was dimly lit and musty, with a coating of dust everywhere. As I stepped through the pink carpeting, dust stuck to my socks. There were faint traces of the green stuff here too.

I didn't see anything that could be good for Simon. I asked Hambo what he thought would be a good toy for Simon. Hambo was sleeping.

I decided to look around a little longer. Then I saw a little pink thing move on top of the tallest mountain in the room. I couldn't quite make it out, but I climbed after it. It looked about the length of my hand.

"Hey, wait-"

"MARCY?!" I could hear Simon bellow as his steps tapped furiously in the stair well. He was still on a lower floor, but he was getting close.

The little pink thing peeked out at me from behind a rabbit plush and looked at me funny. I could see it had no neck. I was almost to the top.

"MARCY!" Simon slammed the door open. I turned and lost my concentration.

My foot slid deep into the mountain. And I felt the pile tremble. The whole thing began to fall down as the top toys rolled in an avalanche. I was suspended in air for a moment before the toys covered me from all directions.

"MARCY!" I saw Simon for a brief moment before I was completely buried in plushies.

"SIMON-"

…

There was a great cloud of dust. When I opened my eyes, I was up to the neck in plush toys. The mountains had all simultaneously collapsed. I was surprised by how difficult it was to move in the sea of plushies.

The dust got all over me. I sneezed over and over again. It would've been horrible to die of dust inhalation, but my nose soon cleared up and I found some footing on an overturned shelf.

I surveyed the dim, flickering room. No sign of Marceline. Oh no, she'd get suffocated under all those toys...

"Marcy! Marcy!" I called out over and over again, "Marcy! Oh, mother..."

"Marcy!" I began to dig furiously through the plushies, ignoring the flying dust, "Marcy!"

A muffled noise alerted me to a small hill in the sea. I painstakingly made my way there, slipping a few times.

"Marcy?!" I pry off a few Tiggers, "Marcy! Are you there?!"

I throw off a Stitch and reveal Marcy's face. I pull her out. Her hand still gripped Hambo. I carry her back to the shelf and lay her down.

"Marcy! Marcy! Wake up!" Her eyelids twitch and he coughs out dust. I support her head on my forearm, "You okay?"

She sputters, the dust brought tears to her eyes, "Simon..."

"That was a very dangerous-" Before I finish, she hugs me with a startling force. I'm almost knocked over.

"I'm sorry, Simon!" She bawls and I feel her tears and snot staining my shirt, "I-I just thought you... you'd sleep better if-if I..."

"Oh, Marcy," I ruffle her ebony hair, "I sleep better already knowing you're safe."

She looks up tearfully and cracks a small smile. We laugh a little.

"Thanks, Simon," She looks around, "Hey, guess what, I found this little pink- THING!"

She jumped into the plushies and came up holding something triumphantly in her hand. After I help her back up, she reveals to me a little pink nub figure in her hand. It had legs and arms but no fingers. The whole thing was pink. It blinked apprehensively at us.

"This is for you!" Marcy tucked the thing into my pocket, "What do you think it is?"

"Umm..." The little thing seemed quite comfy in my pocket, "It think it's a Scientific Parasite."

"What?!" Marcy tried to take it out, but the little guy wouldn't budge, "I'm sorry, Simon... I thought..."

"No, it's alright. Doesn't seem dangerous..." I recall a former colleague's presentation on such things, "It just feeds off brain waves. Seems this guy likes mine..."

"Brain...waves? Like... ocean waves?" Marcy looks at me quizzically.

I chuckle and hoist her onto my shoulders. It's a little heavy along with the bulging pack, but I didn't complain. Luckily, the moment I opened the exit, the toys surged forth and practically swept us all the way to the lobby. We were a bit bruised, but we couldn't stop laughing until we got out of the city.

I cooked some hobo soup from canned goods and we sung a bit around the fire. I watched Marcy fall asleep and soon began nodding off myself.

That night, I slept well.


	14. Chapter 14: Bass Overture

"Ooh! Lookie here, Marcy! A bonanza!"

Simon lifted a slightly charred object from a pile of trash. It was a box shaped like an eight with a hole and strings that ran along a stick that stuck from it.

"It's a guitar, a musical instrument," Simon said as he picked off bits of burnt wood.

He plucked the strings and a strange sound bounced from the string and seemed to vibrate with everything. I was fascinated.

"Let me try."

Simon guided my hands over the strings and I could feel his hands tremble. Since yesterday, when he warded off those monsters and called me "Gunther", he's been a little kooky.

His beard is longer, and his eyes have a much more wild look. He wears the crown more often and tends to mutter incessantly about snow and stuff. I'm worried he may be too far gone... But he still comes back in moments like this. Short relapses, where his mind goes back to the old Simon and we'd laugh and sing like we used to. I'd already lost track of how much time we'd spent together. His jacket is worn and thin. My hair is down to my shoulder blades and I've had to change from my old baby clothes. I'm up to Simon's shoulder now...

"Strum like this see?" He gripped my hand and ran it over a series of notes. It produced a cascading sound that reverberated through the air. I loved it.

"This is a cool guitar." I jumped up and plucked some random strings. The cacophony held a strange appeal to me.

"How was that, Hambo?" I glance at the raggedy old bear. He remains smiling. I smile back. Behind me, Simon groaned.

"Uhh..." He fell to his knees.

"SIMON!" I rushed to his side. He righted himself up and sat with his back to an old concrete wall. He gripped his head and hissed through his teeth. I felt a chill go throughout the air around us and I saw ice form on the ground around him.

"Simon-" "STAY AWAY!"

His eyes flashed white and he screeched a strange inhuman scream. I gripped Hambo and could only watch in horror as snow rained down and frost covered the area. Simon floated high into the air and his cracked glasses fell. In the distance, I could hear the monsters growl in the city, attracted by all the noise.

"Simon! Take the crown off- ugh!" I nimbly dodged an icicle bolt.

Using it as a spring board, I sprung up in his face and plucked the crown of his balding head. I'd always been able to jump and run pretty well, don't know why. Anyway, he stopped immediately and the crown fell into a nearby bush. Simon fell on his back, moaning. I landed beside him.

"Simon! Simon!"

"Ngh... Wha-? Who's Simon? Gunther?" He blinked, incomprehensible, at me, "Go get Daddy's crown, you bad Gunther."

"What, Simon!" I grab his shoulders and give a good shake, "Simon! You're Simon! Snap out of it!"

His eyes snapped into focus, but he was gone as quick as he came, "Give me my crown!"

He lunged past me and picked the crown off the bush. I was filled with dread as he positioned it on his head. He grinned a toothy grin and floated slowly upwards, then away.

He rants at the top of his lungs, "ICE! ICE, SNOW, FROST! FOREVER!"

"Simon!" I chase exasperatedly. Is he really gone? The crown doesn't seem to stop controlling his mind even when it's removed...

"SIMON!" I cry out until my throat is hoarse. He stops. I continue running and he slowly descended to the ground. Had the magic worn off?

I caught up with him, panting. He wore a look of terror as he took the crown off slowly. He looked at me like a helpless child. I returned the look of a worried and scared little girl. He spoke first.

"Marcy... I-" "Simon!"

I run up to him, slap the crown out of his hands and hug his waist as hard as I can. A long silence followed. I was trembling violently, so I said the one thing I could think of to keep myself from crying.

"...How about some dinner?"

…

It was silent around the fire. Simon's eyes were a million miles away, and he only looked up once in a while, his mouth open, but silent. I stirred the old pot pensively.

"Marcy... I..." Simon finally speaks. I look up and he stops.

"...Did I ever tell you... about Betty?"

I was desperate to have him keep talking normal, "Tell me again."

He chuckled, his eyes misty and foreign, "If you ever get to meet her, I'd want... Marcy... I..."

He fumbled his words and finally asked with difficulty, "What am I to you, Marcy?"

"Huh?" "Why do you stay with me?"

I think for a moment before responding, "I love you, Simon. You... you're my only friend. And Hambo." I hug the raggedy teddy. His color has long faded into a murky pink and he's patched all over.

Simon smiles, "If I get to marry Betty... and we do start a family... Would you like to be my daughter?"

I drop the spoon into the pot and leave it. The thought just seemed like out of a dream. I fantasized living with Simon in a house and being like before the Lich many times.

"Yes! Yes!"

"Okay, okay..." He sighs a bit, "We'd better get some sleep now."

The horrific experience was forgotten for a while as I drifted into sleep. But in the middle of the night, I was rudely awakened by Simon's nightmarish mumbling in his sleep. A chilly air hung over our little campsite and I could glimpse the crown atop the tree stump that was our table. It's rubies gleamed a strange light and I shivered from the thought of the ghastly ghoul Simon would become. I thought I could help him control it... But he's slipping so far, and it's getting too hard to call him back repeatedly.

Reluctant and troubled, I forced myself to sleep. Reassuring myself of nothing but empty promises of a future.

_Simon... We'll always be together... Promise?_


	15. Chapter 15: End of All Stories

I'm no longer myself in this form.

_Where' the Princesses? I wanna snag a mighty nice one!_

It's like a battle all the time for my consciousness. I can't sleep anymore because I'm overridden whenever I rest. My body feels so leaden and those disturbing visions don't make anything better. They're everywhere, all the time. There's no time left for me it seems. Yet I can't leave Marcy. I can't. Not yet.

_Where's a good spot for an Ice Kingdom, eh?_

She gives me a worried look. I marvel at how she's already an adolescent. We've spent a long time together in this barren new world.

"Simon? What's wrong?" She runs a hand across my wrinkled forehead.

I sit down heavily on an overgrown mushroom. Strange plants and even stranger animals have been popping up as we continue to live sparsely. Just the other day I saw the silhouette of a gigantic spider by the forest edge. Thank glob it didn't come any closer. But now that I know we're no longer alone, it's been uneasy.

"I'm... just a bit tired..." I manage to mutter._ Gunther, come give Daddy some sugar._

"... Simon," Marcy looks at me, unbelieving, "Do you need anything?"

_SUGAR! PRINCESSES!_

"Some... gum, maybe?" I say that without thinking. She looks at me confused.

"... That pink gunk that was all over the city? Where did it all go anyway..." She looks furtively over at the direction of the city, "Should we go back?"

I nod wearily, "Okay."

She nimbly springs from branches and hops among the treetops. I'm amazed by her lithe vitality. I amble behind, burdened by the battle in my mind more so than the bundle on my back.

_I think I'll make the penguin's home here!_

We come to the toxic river that runs along the city border. It's green and radiates an eerie aura. We had built a bridge of scrap metal to cross a few days ago.

At dinner, I looked over some ancient newspapers that I'd kept. Marcy slurped on her stew and peered across the fire. We ended up laying side by side looking at the papers.

"Wow... '_San...Frankisko...Examiner'..._?" She pronounces slowly.

"This was the last piece of news... before that... bomb," I look wistful at the front cover, "It's like a piece of the past."

Marcy gestures at the photo of a convict under the article titled "Suspect Convicted of 4 Murders".

"He's a bad guy, right?"

I sigh lightly and she looks to me for confirmation. Positioning myself on my elbows, I lean back a little bit on my back.

"I don't think so."

She looks at me, "Huh?! But he's done bad things! Isn't that what bad people are?"

"No... it's something else," I wipe my cracked spectacles, "I think there's just good people, but they do bad things. There's really no bad people. That's what I think."

She cocks her head to one side, digesting the information. Her hair's gotten long and unruly. Maybe I ought to find her a comb or scrunchy...

_Hey, find a Princess or two here and there... And I'm loaded! Yay, Ice King you are on a roll!_

…

After a bit of reading, Marcy wanted stories.

I wracked my brain for a story I had yet to have told. These numerous nights have trailed behind one another and become somewhat strangely monotone. We'd grown lax on security, knowing those things never seem to venture beyond the city. And we've never seen anything particularly malicious come out of the wood. We just ate, sat around, talked, and so on.

_Why am I sittin' here? There' princesses up for grabs elsewhere!_

I forcefully shake my head. I'm sure that's just the crown talking. But it just shows how far I've deteriorated. I need to get somewhere, I don't know where, but somewhere Marcy will be safe... And then I will have been done. The crown will inevitably swallow me up and I will be... I don't know what. Even the brightest memories seem strangely distant in my muddled brain.

"Betty..."

_Who's Betty?_

"Simon?"

I take a deep breath, "There lived a poor man. He was happy despite poverty and had a wife and two children. His wife was named Betty, his little girl was Marceline... and his son was... was..."

Marcy looked up in worry. I was wracked by a wave of headaches. They subsided, but left me utterly distorted.

"...his name was Gunther."

Unknowingly, my hand clutched on the crown and moved to slowly place it on my head. Marcy, quick like a mouse, snatched it away. Strangely enough, my body froze, and every muscle was virtually halted. I sat there limply, unable to even speak, eyes wide open to watch a horrific scene unfold.

"_SIMON!"_

There was an unearthly howl that echoed in my head as Marcy gaped at the glowing crown she held. I wanted to take the glittering thing, tell Marcy to let it go, or something. But I sat there, dumb as a brick.

Ice crept from the swirling cold air that froze slowly onto Marceline's clothes and skin. The crown glowed bright as a star. Marcy couldn't let go, as it froze fast to her hands.

"AAAAGHHH! SIMON!" Ice crept up her body. Her screams pierced my numb mind and I weakly lunged to wrench the crown out of her grasp.

The ice accelerated it's growth and I could feel icicles pierce my limbs. I was getting frozen into the icy mass as well.

"IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT?!" I howl into the cold air, directing my words to the crown, "FINE! TAKE ME!"

If I were to die here, I could stop my descent to madness... I don't know if the crown will still be able to use my frozen corpse, but I won't let it have me alive... But I still... needed to save Marcy...

As ice covered my face, I glimpsed the opening of the fiery depths commence.

Through the clouded and foggy ice, I saw fire burn, licking away at the newspapers.

And I fainted.


End file.
